Revenge
by PoetAndThePendulum
Summary: Horvath is back and this time he's brought another figure from Veronica and Balthazar's past as an ally. With Dave as the ultimate target, they all find themselves in the midst of another adventure. NO SLASH. Will be on Hiatus for a short period of time
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter one:_

_Stonehenge, England._

Tiny pin-pricks of light shone through the silky blackness that was the night, the new moon offering no light for the traveller; he was dressed in expensive looking trousers, shoes and a fur collared coat.

He walked casually up to the large circle of stones, his cane making a noise each time it struck the ground. He stopped beside one shorter stone and carefully removed his hat, placing it on the pointy part of the stone and revealing dark hair, thick brows and a carefully trimmed beard/moustache accompanied by a round face and a hawk like nose.

He walked out into the middle of the circle of stones _sans_ hat and stopped dead in the center. Flames sprung up suddenly, a torrent of red rising and stretching in each cardinal direction. The traveller extended his arms, palms facing downwards and slowly raised them; with them raised a coffin of onyx.

Soon the onyx coffin was above ground entirely. The traveller stepped forwards and inserted a small pentacle pendant into the left side and waited as a small sound came when the pentacle slowly rotated in its hole.

Once it had completed its round, the lid popped open with the hissing sound of air being released. The traveller reached out a gloved hand and slowly pried it open the rest of the way. Horvath smiled cordially when the inhabitant opened eyes as black as the stone they had been encased in.

"Welcome to the twenty-first century, Highness."

* * *

_Manhattan, New York _

David Stutler, the Prime Merlinian, released a small yelp as he was struck in the chest with a plasma bolt and sent sprawling backwards. He struck the hard ground of the sub way/lab/training area with a groan, grateful for the padding he wore for taking the brunt of the strike.

Balthazar Blake, Sorcerer of the 777th degree and Dave's master, smirked returning his attention to the book on his lap.

"I told you to pay attention." He stated simply as the younger man scrambled to his feet; Dave returned to Merlin's circle with a frown.

"I _was_ paying attention." Dave defended, straightening the oversized tan padding ruefully, as if it was solely responsible for his inability to perfect the magic he had undoubtedly displayed that night in the park.

"Then what did I say?" Balthazar countered and when Dave didn't answer, his master cast him an 'I-told-you-so' smirk over the top of the book.

The younger man groaned again and flopped where he stood. "Can't this wait until _after_ my exams? It's not like Morgana is expected to make a comeback." He muttered.

"It's not Morgana you should be worried about. Or did you forget about Horvath and the other Morganians out there?" The older Sorcerer asked, finally closing the book he was reading to regard his apprentice critically. Dave looked down at his hands sheepishly.

"You do have a point..." Dave agreed reluctantly. The older man nodded in satisfaction at having won another argument and reclined in a more relaxed position in the chair.

"Do it again. And focus this time."

The Prime Merlinian cautiously got to his feet.

At least this time he had enough foresight to duck as a plasma bolt sailed towards him.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. That wasn't what he had had in mind for defence.

Pinching his nose, he formed another bolt.

"Again. And no ducking this time. Actually _use_ your magic."

Nearly an hour later, Veronica came down with a tea tray and some cookies she had dug around for. (She still hadn't managed to figure out the stove).

She found Balthazar standing in a half relaxed, half impatient stance as he waited for a heavy breathing Dave to get to his feet. The younger man was sweating and wiped it from his eyes with a shaking hand. Veronica sighed and decided to swoop in, wearing her medieval attire because she felt slightly more comfortable in it than the modern fashion.

She walked over to Balthazar and placed a kiss on her lover's cheek. "Good afternoon, love." She greeted. She placed the tray down on the already cluttered desk and glanced at Dave, who looked at her gratefully.

The young apprentice had taken a liking to her. Though she too was strict about her magic, she understood the importance of realizing that nothing was perfect on the first try. She smiled at him and he returned with a grimace as he began working the stiffness out of his shoulders and Balthazar poured himself a cup of tea.

The master turned to Dave with the steaming cup in his hands.

"We'll call it a day. Go home, shower and get some rest. Tomorrow at eight we'll start up again." He ordered and Dave paused in the process of removing his padding.

"Um...I, er, can't do eight." He stated hesitantly.

Balthazar blinked. "Why not?"

"Well, I started tutoring a few physics students and eight is our meeting time. After that I'm meeting with Becky." Dave replied growing uncomfortable and shifting from foot to foot.

Dave watched as his master looked up at the ceiling momentarily."Dave," He began while crossing his arm over his chest.

Dave raised his hands in a mock surrender position. "I know, I know. Magic is important-" He began.

"I was actually going to say we can compromise," Balthazar interrupted and smirked at the shocked look that covered his charge's face. He continued, not allowing Dave the time to retaliate. "Come at nine-thirty, no later." He ordered curtly, waving his hand. Veronica chuckled secretly to herself, covering it with her hand.

Dave closed his gaping mouth with a clicking sound and nodded mutely. "O-Okay, sounds good...Um...thanks?" And with that, the young man was scrambling up the steps, lest his master change his mind.

Once Veronica and Balthazar were left alone, the woman walked over to him and put her head on his chest. "That was very kind of you, Balthazar." She remarked, her tone half teasing.

Her words were rewarded with a snort as Balthazar wrapped an arm around her waist, the tea in his other hand.

"Ever notice he resembles a fish when he's surprised?" The sorcerer opted for instead, and sipped his tea promptly, causing Veronica to shake her head fondly.

"I've noticed quite a few things." She responded cryptically, grinning at Balthazar's blank stare.

* * *

"That is he." Horvath pointed with the tip of his cane towards the young man emerging from the abandoned subway exit; the cloaked figure beside Horvath smirked.

"He looks nothing as I expected. This may be simpler than I had first thought," The figure stopped talking as Dave vanished from sight around a corner. Then their attention was directed towards the entrance of the abandoned subway. "We remove the mentor first. The Prime Merlinian can't defend himself if he's never taught how to." The smirked slowly turned into a sadistic grin.

"And the woman..?" Horvath asked an undertone of dread in his voice. The cloaked figure waved a long hand impatiently.

"What do you think you fool?" the figure snapped and Horvath nodded, bowing his head slightly in dreaded acceptance then he righted his stance.

"Shall we, Highness?" Horvath smirked as he held out his elbow. The sadistic grin returned as the long hand slipped gracefully into the villain's elbow as they advanced together towards the entrance.

**

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**A/N: *Hides* I'm a little nervous about characterization...This is my debut and I'm still grasping the strange formatting process...Thanks for reading and I hope someone's enjoyed it thus far.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice and all rights go to the respective owners. I am in no way making profit with the production of this fanfiction.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter two:_

The next evening, Dave tried wiping the goofy smile from his face to no avail.

Tutoring had been a breeze, and he felt for a strange moment like Balthazar, though Dave had been less torturous to his 'students'. The tutoring session had actually come to an end early and now he had extra time to spend with Becky; so the young man was practically walking on air when he saw the slight figure of his blond girlfriend.

"Becky, hey." He greeted and she turned around, smiling at him brightly.

"Dave! Wow, you're early!" She exclaimed then peered suspiciously over his shoulder. "Balthazar isn't _here_ with you is he?" She questioned and Dave blinked.

"What? No, I have to meet him at nine-thirty and tutoring ended early." He explained as Becky hooked her arm with his, causing him to ward off a blush threatening to rise to his cheeks.

"Oh...How's the training anyways?" She asked and Dave grimaced, blush forgotten.

"Like slavery. I wonder if a lawyer would believe me if I said I was being submitted to magic child labour." He mused jokingly and Becky giggled and whacked his arm with an open palm.

"You must like it at least a little if you're still doing it." She pointed out and Dave nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess," He murmured and then looked around in mock horror, lowering his voice to a stage whisper. "But don't tell Balthazar!" He hissed and was rewarded by another giggle.

"How are your classes?" He asked after that, deciding a change of subject was needed. Becky sighed.

"My radio classes are great, but my Science class isn't coming along too well." She responded sheepishly as they crossed a busy street when the light said they could walk.

"Oh...Well, I can help out with that." Dave stated.

"_If_ you can get time between training and what you're already doing on top of that." Becky added, eyes sparkling. When Dave opened his mouth to protest she stopped walking and stood on her toes, bringing her face closer to his. That shut him up; on top of him turning a rather interesting red.

"You're so easy." She mused as she lowered herself from her toes and continued walking, leaving Dave a few steps behind as he recovered himself. She glanced at him teasingly when he caught up with her.

"And you just love pointing that out." Dave remarked, shoving his hands deeply in his pockets after making sure his bag was one more secure on his shoulder. Becky shrugged.

"_Someone_ has to keep you on your toes." She grinned.

Afterwards, they both settled down for some coffee and idle chat. They then walked down to the park and the time flew by quickly. When Dave looked at his watch he cursed.

It was nine forty-five.

"I'm late. Oh man, he's going to kill me." The young man then looked pleadingly at his girlfriend as he ran his hand through his dark hair and the blond gave him a reassuring smile and an actual kiss this time.

"I'm just glad I got to spend this much time with you. I'll see you later." She said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and waving. Dave waved back and the remembered _why_ he was supposed to be leaving and ran towards the subway.

He tapped his fingers impatiently all through the ride. He knew he would be lucky if Balthazar even compromised with him again!

He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he missed the cloaked figure standing in the corner, smirking. The lights flickered and the figure disappeared.

When the subway came to a stop Dave flew out the door and all but ran to the abandoned subway that was his lab and practice arena. Something caused him to stop dead in front of the door.

Maybe it was some kind of Prime Merlinian Spidey sense...

Maybe Balthazar was rubbing off on him...

_Or_ maybe it was just the fact that the door was hanging on its hinges with scorch-marks marring the once flawless surface.

Whatever it was, Dave unfroze and crept towards the door, cautiously forming a spark and then a fire ball in the palms of his now cupped hands, his heart racing. He swallowed nervously as he peered around the now-ruined door; when he saw nothing he quickly stepped out into the open with a possible macho threat on his tongue.

Whatever he was going to say stuck to the top of his mouth as he looked down in horror, observing the destroyed lab. And the motionless form of his master sprawled out on the floor.

"Balthazar!" Dave cried the fire in his hands vanishing in a flash as the young man ran down the steps three at a time.

He ran straight to the older man's side and dropped down to his knees; Dave then reached out and rolled Balthazar onto his back. The sorcerer remained listless as Dave's hands fisted on the lapels of his trench coat. Dave was feeling a little more than panicked. Last he'd seen his mentor this still he had had to restart his master's heart.

Though there were some slight differences. This time the older man had a thin rivulet of blood running down the right side of his head and a large burn mark on the spot on his cotton undershirt that was directly above his heart.

Dave shook him as warm tears accumulated in the outer corners of his eyes. This couldn't be happening again!

"Balthazar! Can you hear me? Wake up!" He yelled; when he received no response, he began shaking Balthazar harder and then pressed his palm to his master's chest.

"_Balthazar!_" Dave cried one last time a desperate note creeping its way into his voice.

Suddenly, the chest under his palm heaved as Balthazar took in a giant whoosh of air. The sudden change startled Dave and the boy pulled his hand away quickly as his master began coughing harshly.

"Balthazar?" Dave asked tentatively. The sorcerer's blue eyes fluttered open slightly and he sighed.

"You're late." Balthazar reprimanded; his voice was hoarse.

Dave blinked and shook his head in disbelief. "I...I'm late?" He echoed shakily and lurched forwards to assist Balthazar in his attempts to sit up. Dave shook his head. "You're insane..." He whispered.

The elder man was rasping slightly and shaking; no doubt from the shock of whatever had hit him in the chest. He coughed one more time and gave a small half smile. "_That's_ already been established."

"What happened?" Dave demanded his voice higher in pitch. Balthazar paused in his attempts to stand and cocked an eyebrow at his distraught apprentice.

What Balthazar felt obliged to say was:_ Veronica and I decided the place needed some spicing up. _

Though for some reason the tearful look in Dave's eyes stopped him.

"We were attacked Dave." He explained as if he was speaking to a child, eyes scanning the lab for Veronica. He found her sprawled across the couch and stumbled over to her, checking to be sure she was all right. She was in better shape than he was, though she required rest. The spell that had been cast on her was wearing off. Balthazar set about making her more comfortable.

"Yeah I can see that. Attacked by whom?" Dave's voice was beginning to sound like a mouse by now and Balthazar smirked in amusement and flinched when the automatic shoulder movement jarred his aching chest.

"Calm down Dave, you're giving me a headache."

"I am calm!" His apprentice squeaked and both of Balthazar's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he gave Dave a doubtful look. The younger man, upon seeing the look, blinked and took a deep shaky breath.

"Okay...Now I'm calm." He stated; his voice having returned to the normal pitch. Balthazar nodded.

"Good." He said curtly, resisting the urge to groan as he straightened from his stooped position over the now resting Veronica. The sorcerer tested his legs and once certain he was steady he began to walk over to the _Incantus_. When Dave caught his sleeve as he passed the younger man he looked down at his still kneeling apprentice blankly.

"Don't you think you should, I don't know, explain things a little to me?" Dave snapped. The younger man didn't actually want to sound snappy, but he hadn't been able to help it. The mixture of worry, shock and the fact his master was acting so casual was getting to him.

Balthazar scowled as he retrieved his sleeve from Dave's lax grip.

"Horvath's back and he brought a friend. Veronica and I were attacked shortly after you left the night before." His master replied snappishly in return.

"That's quite a long time to spend on the _floor_." Dave pointed out and Balthazar sighed.

"And I do hope that it hasn't given you a crick in the neck, Balthazar. Or our rematch wouldn't be quite as fun." A new voice sounded, silky and British accented and it caused both men to tense in surprise.

There was Horvath, flanking a tall slender woman with cascading golden curls and flawless ivory skin. She looked absolutely beautiful; save for the unnerving iris-less onyx eyes. Those eyes swept between both men and she smiled serenely and tilted her head "I do hope I'm not interrupting some petty quarrel," she then paused and began observing Balthazar and clicked her tongue. "I knew I should have put more power into that spell," She shrugged a shoulder casually. "That simply means I won't make the same mistake a second time." She then turned to Dave, who tensed further. "Your Master won't be so lucky this time. Once he's out of the way, you will suffer." She hissed. Dave swallowed as he rose slowly.

"Guinevere. What are you doing aligning yourself with the Morganians?" Balthazar had already armed himself with a plasma bolt and looked just about ready to attack.

The look of serenity vanished from Guinevere's angelic face.

"I've been betrayed, Balthazar," She hissed. Horvath sifted from behind her to beside her. "And you and the Prime Merlinian will pay for the injustice!"

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**A/N: Thank you **_**Sheherazade's Fable **_**for pointing out my little 'Primer' mistake in the latter chapter and taking the time to warn me about it. I assure you it's been corrected. The 'r' just keeps sneaking up on me. **

**I actually think this story may only have a few more chapters, seeing as it's my first one. Maybe I'll come up with a sequel later on...This is just a 'testing the waters' thing after all. I was nervous to even begin posting on this site, to tell you the truth.**

**Alright! Enough of my ranting!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice and all rights go to the respective owners. I am in no way making profit with the production of this fanfiction. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter three:_

The four conscious inhabitants of the room maintained a deathly silence after the proclamation. Guinevere slowly reigned in the emotions she had displayed, obviously with great effort, and returned to giving them that serene little smile. Once she had regained her composure she continued.

"I was dearly hoping you'd be dead by the time young David here arrived, Balthazar. Then I could have crushed him easily in his grief but..." She trailed and shrugged a shoulder. "I suppose now I get to have more fun. Good bye boys. Until next time!" And with that, she raised her arms sharply and sent out a translucent pink wave. Balthazar swivelled and erected a shield over himself and his apprentice. The brunt of the wave had been aimed towards Dave. When the wave's power had lessened, Balthazar slowly allowed his shield to drop and both he and Dave straightened up.

Guinevere and Horvath had vanished.

Dave took in a shaky breath and looked at his master, running his hand through his hair. "You're going to explain things to me now, right?"

"Yes, but we need to wait for Veronica to wake up. She knew Guinevere better than I. In the meantime, you better read the section in the _Incantus_ on her. And actually read it, none of that scrolling stuff everyone does." Balthazar willed the heavy book over and plopped it abruptly into Dave's half-expectant arms. The boy staggered slightly under the weight and huffed.

As Balthazar walked over to the couch Veronica was occupying, Dave placed the _Incantus_ gingerly on the desk, sat down heavily on a chair, not realizing a leg had been damaged and took a tumble towards the cobblestoned floor. His back connected and he just lay there for a moment.

"Are you all right?" Balthazar called a strange mix of amusement and underlying concern in his tone.

Dave pushed himself up on his elbows and caught sight of his master's looming form near the couch.

"Yes, I'm just _peachy_ Balthazar." Was his dry reply and Balthazar returned to his efforts of slowly rousing Veronica.

"Good. Get reading."

Dave got to his feet and looked ruefully down at the ruined chair. He'd have to find another one. He set off to complete that task and once he found one he sat down slowly this time and opened the _Incantus_, flipping through it until he found the right page.

The first thing he saw was the picture. Guinevere looked the same as he had seen her before, only instead of the unnerving onyx her eyes were a startling electric blue. His eyes ghosted down to the beginning of the paragraph and he began to read.

_Guinevere Pendragon was the daughter of King Lodegrance of Camylarde. She wedded Kind Arthur Pendragon, unawares of his past love and affair with Morgana Le Fay, and gifted him with a dowry of many knights and a round table. _

_The deception of Arthur remained unknown to the new Queen of Camelot for many years; years in which the beautiful Queen was renowned for her fairness and gentle rule. _

_Guinevere, though not gifted with Magic, still maintained a relationship with the Apprentice's of Merlin and even Merlin himself, participating in advocating for the king and his knights. _

_Though Guinevere loved Arthur it was not the way a wife loved a husband and she fell for Sir Lancelot, Arthur's most trusted knight and best friend. They deceived the king for nearly half a year, until word reached Arthur. _

_Once found out, the couple had been locked away and Arthur had been forced to condemn Guinevere to death, but on the date of her execution Lancelot managed to rescue her and together the couple fled to France in hopes of escaping their death sentence. _

_Arthur followed the couple and it is rumoured that Merlin had taken part in their recapture. Arthur and Lancelot had a duel to the death and the aftermath left Lancelot fatally wounded. Guinevere, upon noting her love had been bested, fled the scene and was never heard from again. _

Dave had read the passage of the _Incantus_ twice before Veronica had finally joined the world of the living.

The dark haired sorceress had groaned and shifted in Balthazar's grip, her dark eyes fluttering open and she have given both men and confused look. She began sitting up slowly as Balthazar supported her back.

"Easy, love." He warned softly and she nodded to him; showing him she was fine. Dave stood from his chair and walked over to the two leaving the _Incantus_ still open on the desk. Soon the sorceress was updated on the situation and she frowned.

"I don't recall Merlin aiding in their recapture." She murmured thoughtfully and Balthazar shook his head, indicating he too had no recollection.

"What about magic?" Dave asked.

"She didn't have it, but that could have been fixed easily. There are a few choice relics in the world, most of them having already been destroyed, which gives a person certain magic abilities. Now we just need to find out which one it was." Balthazar responded, frowning slightly.

"Okay, so how many relics are there?"

"There are about three that are still in existence," Veronica paused and sighed. "Sadly, they've all been put into hiding. After Merlin was killed, we lost track of them."

"But we can still figure out which one Guinevere has been exposed to," Balthazar spoke as he walked, grabbing his hat and clapping it on his head. Over his shoulder, he motioned for Dave to follow him.

* * *

The penthouse door swung open slowly and Horvath strode in, holding the door open for Guinevere. She caught sight of the paintings Drake Stone had had hung on the walls and raised an eyebrow. Horvath shrugged his shoulder.

"He was an idiot, but my only choice at the moment. He was easily disposed of." He spoke dismissively and Guinevere chuckled slightly and waved her hands, taking the paintings and stowing them in a far corner.

"Many would think it an insult for the Morganians to turn to a side-show magician...No, this time I will bring something of greater power into the battle." Guinevere walked over to the hearth in a swish of skirts, kneeling down and waving her hand.

The flames sprung up and she straightened, turning back around to face Horvath. She smiled and it eventually turned sardonic, the flames casting eerie shadows over her face.

"Let the search begin."

* * *

The first thing Dave saw when the door to the shop was opened was...well...water. Gallons of it were all over the place in little fountains and Zen gardens. Balthazar stepped in ahead of him and a woman walked out to greet them.

She was small, with red hair cut in a pixie cut and full lips topped off with large brown eyes and translucent skin. She smiled daringly at Balthazar and _floated_ over.

"Good evening Mr. Blake," She greeted and then paused, her eyes widened when she looked at Dave. "The boy...His powers..." She began, beseechingly looking at Balthazar.

The elder sorcerer nodded. "This is David Stutler, my apprentice and the Prime Merlinian. Dave, this is Willa."

"Hi..." Dave waved, shifting from one foot to the other. Willa clapped her hands together and let out a delighted shriek.

"Oh! We've been waiting for so long to finally meet you! Come, come, Vivian must already be expecting you." With that, Willa twirled in the air and floated back to the direction she had come from. Both men stepped forwards and followed the little energetic woman and Dave couldn't help but look around. The water was now running over dozens upon dozens of milky crystals, which were glowing in an unearthly manner. Upon closer inspection he saw engravings that resembled one very large Celtic knot.

Curious he bent a little closer...

"Don't touch anything; you should have learned from the last time." Balthazar warned and Dave jumped a little.

"Right," Dave said and then shrugged. "Old habits die hard I guess."

They continued on and just when Dave found himself wondering how far back this 'shop' went he collided with Balthazar's back. The older man had stopped pretty suddenly and Dave leaned around him, meaning to ask why they had stopped when he caught sight of another woman Willa had floated over to.

This one was older and had light mocha skin, full red lips and silky black curls that went down to sweep the floor. Her eyes were a deep aqua and she smiled brightly at them.

"Good evening gentlemen...It's been a while Balthazar." She sounded oddly like the water that was constantly falling over the crystalline walls and Balthazar inclined his head in greeting.

"Hello Vivian."

Vivian looked over his shoulder at where Dave was peering around and her eyes softened. "And hello David. It's an honour to finally meet the descendant of Merlin...Your ancestor and I was very close." She held out a long hand, the nails a metallic blue color. "Please, come here. I know of your problem already. It is unfortunate Guinevere had turned against us."

"We were hoping you could tell us what she was after, and what relic she had been exposed to." Balthazar spoke as Dave stepped around him and walked up to Vivian.

"All in good time." She murmured, reaching out with both of her hands now and grabbing those of Dave. She looked over to Balthazar. "I find the need to speak with your apprentice alone, Balthazar. Willa, why don't you make some tea for Mr. Blake?" Willa, who had perched on a nearby rock, floated down again.

"Will do! C'mon Mr. Blake." She chirped and Balthazar turned slowly.

"No harm will befall him." Vivian spoke assuredly and Dave swallowed.

"Um...What exactly are we doing?" He asked nervously and Vivian waited until Balthazar had gone before she answered, closing her eyes.

"I had promised Merlin I would do a reading for his heir. Only your ears must hear this."

Suddenly, the engravings on the wall flared to life and Vivian's hands began glowing in Dave's.

And then the cave had vanished, leaving behind an endless blue space.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, forgive the wait. I had grown so annoyed with this chapter; I literally rewrote it about six times and I still don't really like it. Hopefully this is good enough for my readers though, and still in character. I had lost my drive for this story for a while, so forgive the quality as well. **

**Thank you for all who have reviewed already, but I don't blame you if you don't anymore.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice and all rights go to the respective owners. I am in no way making profit with the production of this fanfiction. **


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